Worlds Largest Things, Inc., home of the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things. Here's the scoop on the latest from World's Largest Things, Inc.
Official Home Page: www.WorldsLargestThings.com

1:50 - Continental Divide. I love that the "no drinking" signs assume that truckers have a full bar set with martini glasses, cocktail olives, and swizzle sticks.

2:37 - Jackrabbit! Just sitting there, on the side of the road. I'm amazed each time I see one at how big they really are…

NAP

5:30 - OK, so the giant Roadrunner WAS at the rest stop I napped at, but not lit, so, drove 'round, fueled, and back to wait until daylight. Creepy Las Cruces thing - correctional facility and fairgrounds are at the same place.

7:00 - UP! Pics! Off!

7:15 - God a nod from a REALLY GOOD General Lee car - although Bo seemed to no longer be blonde, or Caucasian.

7:30 - Awww. Muffy. What'd they do to ya? Muffy and El Toro, NM 70

8:15 - White Sands, and more talk and checkpoint stops. Yes, I always get stopped.

Yesterday morning, room service with tiny little condiments. This morning, instant tapwater coffee and leftover French toast. And, if you're gonna have instant tapwater coffee, get the Spanish Espresso.

8:30 - Up! And searching for AA Batteries. Forgot what being in a crack community is like - motel had brilliant façade setup, just two rooms down from me. Only slightly exposed by the massive amount of NO TRESPASSING - NO LOITERING - NO SMOKING signs around the barred steel door they put in between the two 'rooms'… You could tell by the smell and the pole-thin androgynous person maniacally sweeping what was being made, and the piles and piles of bags inside the door attested.

8:40 - 10:40 - Salvation Mountain! Leonard wasn't here when I pulled up, but showed up soon afterwards. I almost didn't stop (as I'm shy…) but would have kicked myself if I'd have driven on… Drove around the Slabs a bit, too, spotted some of Rocket Bob's old vehicles. Did not locate East Jesus.

9:00 - Up, packing, checking out but hanging out in the lobby. Had a nice conversation with the general manager of the hotel, and the valets washed the truck windshield. I think they may have finally taken me up on the offer to drive it around, too…

12:00 - 1:30 - Met with a producer over a stupendous French toast, thick cut artisan bread rolled in toasted almonds and corn flakes. More schemes they are a-hatchin'.

Off! Outta LA, to do some WLT biz.

L.A. traffic to Cabazon - yes, stop-n-go, but an Art Car can make all of this OK. Construction truck yells "LOVE IT! The Kansas license plate makes the whole thing!"

5:00 - Cabazonagain! This time without rain, and some great lighting…

6:50 - Salton Sea!

7:45 - Niland! What a difference a few hundred miles (and a few hundred dollars) makes…

1:00 - at studio. Yes, I'm early, but that's just what I do… Security guards exceptionally nice, asked about the Art Car, then directed me on a circuitous route to the Conan studio entrance (they called some buddies, wanted them to see, so the car had a bit of a parade.)

1:30 - 4:00 - Waiting, conversation with producer about final cut of models, talking with stage crew about attaching models to bases, people arriving and green room area getting crowded. Rehearsal, more waiting, hair and makeup, then it's time! Standing on a piece of tape waiting for the two large crew guys to open the curtains…

After 4:30 - ON! GREAT introduction, with a shout-out to Lucas, then I meet a very tall redhead who makes sure to say "Thank you for doing this!" as I walk over. Interview, commercial break, some more chit-chat with Conan and Andy, then hung out on the couch during Jimmie Vaughn. Went over to meet the band, say thanks, and back to pack things up.

WHEW! Back out into a downpour, and to the hotel to decompress.

8:00 - Picked up a nice dinner, a bottle of wine, and gonna watch Conan from a swanky Burbank hotel - whoop!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

10:00 - coffeeshop with WiFi, but spotty enough not to be able to actually do anything, so am typing this. OK - gotta go!!!

1:00 - Giant Orange!

2:00 - Burbank! California! Hollywood Way! Here! I! Am! Valet stand never quite knows what to do when an Art Car pulls up - I gave them permission to drive it around the block a few times.

3:00 - meeting locals for dinner and a tour

3:30 - 9:00 - Amazing drive! Hollywood hills, LaBrea Tar Pits, Hollywood Bowl, saw the sights from the back of a Cruiser, then to a jaw-dropping Folk Art collection, and a nice meal in a (surprisingly crowded for a Tuesday) Zagat’s Most Popular restaurant…

9:40 - Stuckys! On 66… would it be completely sacreligious to my Roadside buds if I admitted that I don't 'get' the thing about 66? The SW has marketed it well, and it has a catchy jingle, but I suppose I'm just a Hwy. 50 gal myself…

10:02 - Ears popped, turned down radio

Came up on an older couple in tucumcari (can tell by the size of the car vs. size o' lil' whit heads, and the requisite Kleenex Box and Pillow in rear window) and saw that they passenger was in the 'takin pictures' position…

So, looked over and waved, and the driver (yes, a lil' old man) had about 20 facial piercings. Not lip or eyebrow, but facial. I Heart the American Road.

Noon - Noon Fifteen - Clives Corners - Old stop postcards!

Noon- Noon-fifteen - (bouncing between time zones, so just reporting what the phone says…) - 3 stops to find a TV Guide so I could have my public Steve Martin moment (I'm SOMEBODY! - phonebook scene from The Jerk). FINALLY! Found one, but no late-0night listings. Had to content myself with talking to the 9 people I talked to in parking lots along the way.

ZUZAX! Exit 178, NM Hwy 40 - that's gotta be a bazillion point score…

12:45 - passing by the World's Longest Tramway

Fancy car-wavin' day - Porsche in Albuquerque, and Provost tourbus and following crew bus with full-on curtains-aside faces-against-glass waving. Thanks, Whoever is On Tour!

Mile 135 - Rt 66 Hotel and Casino, may have the World's Largest Gravity Fed Gas Pumps for signage.. just across from the Rt. 66 bridge we visited at the Society for Commercial Archeology conference back in Aught Eight.

2:30 - Continental Divide

3:00 - "Ft. Courage - Take Pictures of Past - Don't Miss It"

3:20 - Arizona! And Painted Pony Indian Trading Post

3:30 - Largest Teepee in the Southwest

4:05 - Truck turned 293,000 miles! While going 82 MPH.

4:30 - Painted Desert

5:20 - Wigwam Village #6, TeePee #9. Tchotchkes, and some AMAZING sunset shots, then dusk and illumnated teepees and horses.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

8:10 - OFF! Slight smattering of snow, and some great sunlight breaking through the fog...

8:40 - forgot phone at home of Bob Dole, have to go all the way back to the Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas

Noon Oh Five - stopped by multi-award winning campground, at town with the World's Largest Prairie Dog and giant Buffalo Bill Killing Buffalo sculpture

1:50 - passing through home of the World's Largest Cow Hairball, got a triple espresso to go...

3:15 - epiphany - waterparks will be the gooney golfs of the future. I know what I mean, will explain later...

3:16 - ROADSIDE/KANSAS ENTHUSIASTS QUADRUPLE WHAMMY!!!! An historic World's Largest Book, flanked by a Boy Scout Liberty, AND a Madonna of the Plains, with the starting line of the International Pancake Race all on the same property.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

I knew a friend had something to do with this ickiest of Kansas' World's Largest Things, but had NO IDEA she made Weekly World News! WenDee has moved on up since those days of dealing with large spherical hair masses, and now works with the amazing Kansas Sampler Foundation.

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Spurred on by requests from WLT Members and fans, I'm giving a summation, and link to the donation page for World's Largest Things, Inc., if you want to help with the California trip for WLTs on Conan O'Brian on TBS.

For the past month and a half, we've been talking to a producer for the new Conan show, working up images and videos to pitch an appearance.

I arrived home from a trip to find a message saying "Yes! Conan loved it!" So, the WLCoWSVoWLT will be traveling out to LA in December to be a part of the show...

Conan's new show has been a hit, and he's had a track record of having quirky offbeat items as a part of the new format. He's also brought back Andy Richter as a 'sidekick'. Tickets to the show are already sold out through December, so the audience approves heartily.

You can find out more at www.TeamCoco.com, watch full episodes, and register for a Pine Tree Air Freshener (car included). The WLCoWSVoWLT taping date (and, most likely, air date) is set for December 22nd - set your TiVos!

Special thanks to Family, Friends, and World's Largest Things members for your continued support. Keep on Living Large!!!

Corn Palace is a husk of its former self

Roadside attractions like the kitschy South Dakota building are drawing fewer and fewer visitors every year. Many owners face the choice to revamp — but how? — or shut down.

By Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times - December 1, 2010

Reporting from Mitchell, S.D. —

In the cornucopia of kitschy roadside attractions, few rival the Corn Palace, a monument to maize that rises from this prairie town's main drag like a Hollywood prop tossed off the back of a big rig barreling down the interstate.

Its green-and-yellow onion domes and spires tower over Main Street, an otherwise unremarkable avenue of low-rise buildings. Golden husks and hundreds of thousands of colorful cobs — held in place by more than a ton of nails, wires and staples — blanket the exterior. Inside, the enticing aromas of popped corn, candied corn and raw ears of corn float down hallways lined with old photographs of the World's Only Corn Palace, as it is described in fliers and on billboards.

But times and tastes have changed since the Corn Palace gained fame in 1892, and there is concern about dwindling visits to the attraction, which is key to the economy in this southeastern South Dakota town of 14,500.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

In working towards the upcoming Conan appearance, I've been working on a Flickr set of World's Largest Things images with their accompanying World's Smallest Versions... Here's the set, full of stories and anecdotes, of the short-listed items that may accompany me in December:

Sunday, November 21, 2010

NEW YORK, Nov. 21, 2010 /NEWS.GNOM.ES/ — The World's Largest Chanukah Menorah will be proudly standing at New York's most fashionable plaza, Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, by Central Park, between the Plaza and the Pierre Hotels. The first candle will be lighted on Wednesday evening December 1, and the full Menorah will be lighted on Wednesday evening December 8. All weekday lightings are at 5:30 PM. Over the years the World's Largest Menorah was lighted by New York City Mayors, Abraham Beame, Ed Koch, David Dinkins, Rudolph Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg, Governors Mario Cuomo, George Pataki and David Paterson, United States Senators Jacob Javits and Charles Schumer, as well as many other dignitaries.

"The Menorah stands as a symbol of freedom and democracy, strength and inspiration, delivering a timely and poignant message to each person on an individual basis," said Rabbi Shmuel M. Butman, Director Lubavitch Youth Organization.

The Menorah was certified by Guinness World Records as the World's Largest. It was specially designed by world renowned artist Yaacov Agam who lighted the Menorah many times. It was inspired by a hand drawing by the Rambam (Maimonides) of the original Menorah in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem.

REBBE PERSONALLY APPROVED MENORAH

The Menorah stood in miniature on the desk of the Lubavitcher Rebbe who personally approved its form. The Rebbe wanted this Menorah to be the world's largest and when there was talk about making a large Menorah in another city the Rebbe asked for that city's Menorah to be smaller.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

During a summer of challenging discussions of Big and Small-ness, many tenets of the World's Smallest Versions of World's Largest Things were challenged. One of the early projects, the World's Smallest Corn Maze, was summarily dismissed as invalid as it didn't use miniature corn. Here, dear WLT Fans and members, is the rebuttal:

OK, so long drives are great for think-time, and it hit me somewhere in the back alleys of Junction City that I am right, *name deleted for protection of the guilty* is wrong. The World's Smallest Corn Maze was totally completely awesome, and the perfect example of the genre.

Criticism of the size of the corn itself is an invalid argument - in the metrics inherent in the Corn Maze genre, the size of the maze (and the extrapolated superlatives) are based on square footage covered, or total path length, NOT the size of the element used in the structure. If I were making a World's Smallest Version of the World's Largest Corn Maze, then YES, I would need to use miniature corn. In making the World's Smallest Corn Maze, the elements necessary in making a corn maze are all addressed -

1. Choice of path (otherwise, it's a labyrinth)

2. Corn (single row, in elevated beds to further emphasize path)

3. Obscured goal (turns) ('cause a straight-line row of corn is just a row of corn, not a maze)

The unit of measure used in the established Corn Maze world is miles (and segments of miles) of path - the World's Largest Corn Maze title is awarded to the longest path maze, not a maze made of super-sized corn (although that, too, would be AWESOME). The World's Smallest Corn Maze, measuring in at .022727 (independently verified by two sources), meets all of the above criteria while being a concise and effective example of this seasonal agrarian form of family amusement.

Keep the challenges coming - I need to get my brain up to speed for the BIG BIG BIG Event, coming in December...

-Erika Nelson, Director, World's Largest Things Inc.

home of the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things Sideshow Extravaganza, and NEW EXHIBIT of the World's Smallest Collection of the World's Largest Versions of the World's Smallest Things

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Kansas! Magazine turns 65 this year, and in their special expanded Anniversary Issue (Winter 2010, Volume 66 Issue 4), we made the Reasons We Love Kansas list:

"IT'S HUGE. See everything that's the world's smallest version of the world's largest things at Lucas' World's Largest Things Inc. It's a forum to research and discuss the attraction of "Roadside Vernacular Architecture." worldslargestthings.com" We're entry number 55, on p. 14.

Yay, WLTs and Lucas Kansas! It's an impressive list, with the likes of Gordon Parks, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, "Grandma" Layton, just to name a few... we're honored to be a part of the Kansas patchwork. Thanks, Kansas Magazine!

Thanks again, Ranjit! This will become a part of the WLCoWSVoWLT Tiny Correspondence archive - I believe that scale-wise, it's the wee-est yet, beating out the University of Chicago's Scav Hunt submission from 2008.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

One of the difficult parts of living in the tech world is keeping track of web identities, especially when you have the added aggravation of being both an independent artist and educator AND the face of World's Largest Things. Here's a start of the list:

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Big News from the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things! For the past month, we've been talking to a producer for the new Conan show, working up images and videos to pitch an appearance.

After arriving home from a team presentation to an Arts Alliance in Kansas City, I found a message saying "Yes! Conan loved it!" So, the WLCoWSVoWLT will be traveling out to LA in December to be a part of the show...

Whoop whoop whoop whoopity whoop! It was exciting even before the "Yes!", as the producer said the collection was a big hit at the office (blush), but now, we're cookin' with heat. I'll keep you posted on actual film date (you could be part of the studio audience!!!) and air date as soon as we iron out details.

Until then, keep on Living Large! And small... Couldn't do it without the support of all of you, Family, Friends, and WLT Members. Thanks for believing in the stories behind Roadside Vernacular Architecture!!!

-Erika Nelson, Director

World's Largest Things, Inc.

(photo from the Team Coco website, of fan Allison Hoffman's awesome Yarn Blimp. Glad to see they appreciate the handmade and the quirky!)

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Ok, this one takes the cake. Or biscuit. Or whatever you'd like to have with your tea... Originally posted on Free Entertainment Blog

China's Meitan County is known as the "hometown of Chinese green tea", and the reputation of Meitan green tea has surpassed national borders, so there was really no better place to build a museum of tea culture. As fascinating as visiting this place may be to tea lovers, we're more interested in its unique architecture. Shaped like a giant clay teapot, and accompanied by a smaller building shaped like a tea cup, the Meitan tea museum is one of the weirdest looking museums in the world. Seen from a distance, it looks like just a strange teapot sculpture, but as you approach it, the windows give away its true purpose. With a maximum diameter of 24 meters, and a capacity of 28,360.23 cubic meters, the Meitan tea museum is by far the world's largest teapot.

With chills in the air putting a stop to outside work, we at WLT Inc. are back to webbin. Todays Project: Updating our Google Places profile, which links to Google Maps and other small business sites... take a look! Now with photos and video (even one in Mandarin!)

Sunday, October 31, 2010

American Road magazine just started a new series on their website, with podcasts from roadside enthusiasts. I was happy to find out the WLCoWSVoWLT is the first in the series, available now on their blog:

Monday, October 18, 2010

A small Polish town has sought to place itself on the global tourist map by building the world's largest statue of Jesus, eclipsing Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer.

Swiebodzin, a Polish town of 21,000 near the German border, will soon be home to a 33-metre effigy of Christ, which, along with a crown that adds a further two metres and its 16-metre mound will put all other statues dedicated to the son of God in its shade.

Due for completion in November, the monument should pip the world's current record holder, Bolivia's Cristo de la Concodia statue, by some nine metres, and look down on the world famous statue in Rio de Janeiro, which stands just 30 metres tall minus its plinth.

Although erected ostensibly to show gratitude to God, the town hopes having the massive statue will bring tourists into a community that has lain off the beaten track for most of its existence.

"If we had opened a racetrack or a golf course here, tourists would have come only for the season. But with a statue of Jesus the season will last the whole year," a local official told Wprost, a weekly news magazine.

With construction nearing the end, engineers face the hazardous task of lifting the figure's massive head and shoulders into place, which, officials say, might require the use of a helicopter.

Monday, September 20, 2010

By Christine WyrickNewton KansanNewton’s new community mural, “The Imagineers,” was dedicated Sunday afternoon in a ceremony that featured dancing, music, speeches — and a lot of sunshine on a 93-degree day.About 100 people attended the event, which unveiled the mural, a project sponsored by the Mid-America Arts Alliance based in Kansas City, Mo., and the National Endowment for the Arts, on the north side of Combs Organ Co. on Main Street.Twelve cities competed to host the project, which was fully funded by those two organizations.Barb Burns, the city’s community advancement coordinator, who along with Rachel Epp Buller from Bethel College served as co-chairwomen for the 2010 Kansas Mural Project, said Newton is the only community in Kansas to host such a painting.Among those in attendance was a contingency from Joplin, Mo., which is considering applying for the community mural grant in the future.Community members were involved in the project from the beginning, giving their ideas for what should be included in the mural and actually helping paint the mural.“... I hope this strengthens the way we come together to work on projects and come to a common good,” Burns said.Dave Loewenstein, a nationally recognized mural artist, was brought in to guide the project. He had two other professional Kansas artists assist him — Erika Nelson of Lucas and Matthew Farley, a Wichita native.“This art is for everyone,” Loewenstein said. “It is not to be bought or sold.”Loewenstein encouraged the community to work on other projects together.“We hand the baton over to you,” he said. “Go out and make more murals, more sculpture, more parks, increase the size of your farmer’s market,” he said. “Whatever it is, you’ve proven you can do this.”Nelson said the artists hope community members will come and study the mural to see what images they take from the mural. Some of the images are clear — others are not, she said.Among the clearly seen images are people of differing ages, a quilt, technology, the clouds on the water tower, a drink, railroad references, birds, trees and a cultivated field.“Some you’ll have to investigate your own community to (figure) out,” she said.“Approaching the mural, one sees a group of people around a table engaged in the process of building, playing, restoring and imagining,” the program at the dedication stated. “These figures are symbolic of the Newton/North Newton community. They re not particular people, but a composite of the many and varied citizens in our area ...”Nelson it was interesting to see people watch the mural come together the last two months.She said a couple of people stopped by twice a day — once in the morning and once in the evening — to see the latest updates. Another couple came each night to point out areas with a laser pointer.“Investigate what the mural might mean,” Nelson said. “There are hidden gems in there. You have community stories reflected back at you in unexpected ways.”One of the highlights of the dedication was a performance by a group of dancers organized and choreographed by Sara Dick especially for the mural project.The dance, with live music to accompany it, included the dancers — a group that included children through seniors — interpreting their favorite places in Newton and North Newton, such as parks and schools.They also jokingly teased their least-favorite place in Newton was sitting in a car waiting for a train to pass. Ironically — or perhaps fittingly — a train passed by with whistles blowing just after that.The dance group included Danika Bielek, choreographer; Helen Bertrand; Emily Blaine; Emma Kliewer; Paige Kliewer; Luella Lohrentz; Olivia Lyles; Marlene Smucker; and Stan Smucker.The musicians were Jesse Graber, Eric Schrag and Matthew Dudte.Perry White, president of Bethel College, said public art being used as a way to tell stories has been around for thousands of years.He said the group is considering options for lighting the mural at night and landscaping around the mural.“We hope this spurs other community projects,” he said.Epp Buller thanked the design team for their efforts. The design efforts started about two months ago, with much of the design work done at the Carriage Factory Gallery with the help of director Joe Loganbill.A red ribbon was cut by Ellie Bradley, a student at Santa Fe Fifth/Sixth Center, who was a member of the design team with her mother.Other members of the design team were Ray Olias, Jesse Graber, Diane Epp, Los Fernandez, Amy Yountz, Bob Regier, Erin McDaniel, James Janzen, LaDonna Voth, Susan Jantzen, Phil Epp, Pat Washburn, Beth Burns, Ellie Burns, Joe Regier, Pat Hines, Mike Combs, Jim Wimmer, Mikala Gingerich-Gaylord and Loganbill.Joe Regier Construction donated hydraulic lifts and other equipment for the artists to use during painting. Michael Combs donated the space on his building for the project.Mural project partners were Vada Snider, Greg Elder Construction, Reba’s, Conrad Snider, Chuck and Cindy Regier, Bethel College and the city of Newton.“This has been the highlight of the last year,” Loganbill said. “We wanted to do something good for the community. It’s a really good piece of art.”

That's right, now that the 2010 Allen and Ginter series from TOPPS is available in retail stores (Target, Mart that Shall Remain Nameless, and K-Mart), the World's Biggest set is starting to emerge. The first of our own cards (see top row, right) just sold on EBay for twenty bucks... Yes, for just one little tiny card. Our card.

Did I mention that I'd be making a World's Largest Version of this World's Smallest Card of World's Biggest Topps A&G Set featuring the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things? Yes, the meta keeps on going, and I feel some sort of universal inversion now that I'm making a WL Version instead of a WS Version... AAAAH! WHERE will it END!!!

Saturday, July 10, 2010

SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY in Collinsville Illinois! Look for the people having fun, mid-sized replicas of the World's Largest Catsup Bottle, and the WLCoWSVoWLT SIDESHOW EXTRAVAGANZA with the World's Smallest Version of same said Catsup Bottle. This year's fest is at the Collinsville American Legion, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

ESCANABA - Popularized in the 1930s, the yo-yo is making a comeback - but not as the familiar child's toy. A 1,625 pound version of the simple, amusing toy will debut in July, courtesy of the Bay College Computer Aided Design (CAD) class.

The 11 foot, six-inch diameter yo-yo is part of the class' latest run to commandeer yet another world record title. Previous CAD class world record attempts include the world's largest golf tee and the world's largest skateboard.

The official drop will occur at 7 p.m., July 6 in the Bay College parking lot off of Danforth Road. Judges for the drop include: Bay College President Laura Coleman, State Representative Judy Nerat and Vice President of Delta Manufacturing Jean Ross - among others.

The current record for the world's largest functioning yo-yo was set by a group of college students from Manchester, England. It was 10 feet tall, five inches in diameter, weighed 896 pounds, and was dropped from a height of 189 feet.

Looking to defeat this record is the seven member Bay CAD team, which includes: Ryan Fairbanks (team leader), Jacob Nietling, Mark Cocco, Matt Yadro, Jessica Potvin, Viki Branstrom and Adam Hoffman. Though the team has already constructed a larger yo-yo, they must now ensure its functionality - dropping it from a crane and propelling the device back up at least once, with witnesses present. Usage of the crane has been donated by Ness Contracting, so now all the students have to anticipate is whether the structural integrity of the yo-yo can withstand the drop.

"On the test drops, I'm pretty sure it won't break. The test drops are only 20 or 30 feet, so its not able to generate that much force, because at those heights it is only around 7,000 pounds of force," explained Fairbanks. "The 90-foot drop is around 18,000 pounds of force, though, so it is quite a bit of difference."

While Fairbanks expresses confidence in the metal components, axle of the yo-yo, and rope, which is rated at 81,000 pounds, he and the group have some apprehension about whether the wood will make it through the process. For this reason, CAD Instructor Jerry Havill has worked with the class and college to outline possible risks and how to prevent them.

"The higher we go, the more danger there is, and if it breaks, then we have to consider people, property and everything else - at 90 feet the risk is higher," said Havill. "The process itself has been thoroughly presented to the college itself, as well as the risk manager for the college system, and so we've looked at things very carefully...we've taken all the steps, but when you drop it, you can't guarantee that it won't break."

Other considerations that have been made are wind and crane movement - both of which will be monitored by the crane operator. If conditions prove too unfavorable, the drop will be called off. A perimeter will be set up around the drop site to ensure the safety of audience members.

Over the past several months, the CAD class has used manpower, welding and glue to construct the steel and wood yo-yo. The current version of the yo-yo was adapted from a smaller yo-yo designed by the class. The larger yo-yo is an replica of the smaller version and exactly 40 times larger. The total cost for the construction of the yo-yo has been just over $12,000, which has been primarily raised by the CAD students through various fundraisers and work.

"We received a $5,000 sponsorship and 300 yo-yos to sell from Yo-Yo Factory.com - they will actually be coming up for the drop," said Fairbanks. "We've been working on it for the past four or five months, probably a minimum of four hours a day, so it's quite a bit of time we've put into it."

The requirements put forth by the Guinness World Record officials include creating: a yo-yo that consists of two equally sized, but not especially equally weighted pieces of plastic, wood or metal; a yo-yo that is demonstrated to work in front of judges; and published specifications of the yo-yo, including the weight, the length of the rope, and the diameter.

According to Havill, the entire project has been a valuable experience for the students, who have had unprecedented local support.

"This project has had more local companies involved than any of the other projects," he explained. "We've had three companies with major involvement, and then a lot of other companies that have been involved and helping by either just charging us cost or volunteering their time or equipment."

The most important aspect of the yo-yo construction process, notes Havill, was the student dedication.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

BIG NEWS from Word's Largest Things, Inc., in Lucas Kansas - we have a collector card in the new Topps Allen and Ginter set, due to be released June 30, 2010! While we haven't seen our own card yet, it will be exciting to hear of collectors finding them 'in the wild' in the coming weeks...

Thank you for your attention!

-Erika Nelson, World's Largest Things Inc., home of the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things

Lucas artist Erika Nelson's "World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things" featured in the Topps 2010 Allen and Ginter Collector Card set, due to be released June 30, 2010.

Due to be released on June 30, and in card stores Thursday July 1st, the new 2010 Allen and Ginter set of retro-themed baseball cards will include a regional favorite - the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things. Lucas KS based artist Erika Nelson was contacted in February by the head of image licensing about including the WLCoWSVoWLT in the 2010 series after the head of marketing found the World's Largest Things website. The initial call came as the Topps executives were still chuckling over the theme song, and a deal was swiftly struck, pairing Kansas' supurlative-sporting attraction and an industry leader in sports trading cards.

Allen and Ginter, a Richmond, Virginia, tobacco manufacturing firm, created the first cigarette cards for collecting and trading in 1875. In 2006, Topps resurrected the name, producing a specialty line of cards in a vintage style. In addition to modern and historical baseball figures, the sets included special quirky insert subjects - relic cards with real objects from famous people (a piece of JFK's sweater), or a special Sailors of the Seven Seas series. A set of signature cards encourage folks to collect autographs from a wide range of people including Erika and her collection, illusionist David Blaine, skateboarding icon Tony Hawk, and fire eater Hubertus Wawra.

Allen and Ginter sets also include special wooden or silk cards in some of their packages, cards that fold out like books, and special 'rip' cards that hide a small card inside a larger card, only revealed if you physically rip open the larger card. Since it is one of the specialty collector sets, you'll have to seek out a hobby shop that still deals in sports cards. There are only a half-dozen official Topps retailers in Kansas, and the owner of The Arena in Salina feels that this years A&G set will sell out quickly, due to a last-minute inclusion of Stephen Strasburg in all Topps releases, starting with the Allen & Ginter series.

Since the World's Largest Collection of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things is one of the autograph cards, when you send one in to the World's Largest Things Home Base (PO Box 101, Lucas KS, 67648) for a signature, you'll receive an additional postcard of the New Sideshow Extravaganza banner featuring the collection. It's a meta-collectors dream, and a great honor for one of Kansas' Quirkiest to be a part of this historic set.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Oh, no, they really had to do this... After our ears got trashed by the now two-week long, relentless Vuvuzela sound, after our brains have become a gelatinous paste as a result of the billions of bees invading our homes from the screens every day, three times a day, after all of that, Hyundai had to come up with this...

Meet the world's largest, biggest, longest, loudest Vuvuzela. Created by the South Korean manufacturer, who, by the way, is the official car supplier of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, the 114-foot-long... tube sits on top of an unfinished bridge in Cape Town.

From there, as a game, any game, is about to start, the Vuvuzela releases its millions of bees on the poor Cape Town residents' heads. Yes, you read it right, the damn thing works. You can find the proof in the video below.

The Vuvuzela has been placed there by Hyundai's advertising agency The Jupiter Drawing Room, to be the epitome of Hyundai's "Bring the Gees" campaign.

If, by accident, you have been living in a secluded cave somewhere on the Moon, the chances are you don't know what a Vuvuzela is. Described by South Africans as football's beautiful noise, the Vuvuzela is a brightly colored, meter long trumpet. A trumpet which, South African says, sounds like an elephant.

Really?

Listen to the one below (which, by the way, sounds more like a ship coming into port). Does it sound like an elephant? Open your TV and listen to tens of thousands of Vuvuzela being constantly blown throughout any given game. Do they sound like elephants?

Friday, June 18, 2010

All that remains of the six-story-tall "King of King's" statue of Jesus Christ on Tuesday, outside the Solid Rock Church in Monroe, Ohio, after it was struck by lightning in a thunderstorm Monday night and burned to the ground.

MONROE, Ohio - A six-story statue of Jesus Christ was struck by lightning and burned to the ground, leaving only a blackened steel skeleton and pieces of foam that were scooped up by curious onlookers Tuesday.

The "King of Kings" statue, one of southwest Ohio's most familiar landmarks, had stood since 2004 at the evangelical Solid Rock Church along the Interstate 75 freeway in Monroe, just north of Cincinnati.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Bill Godfrey assembles his fabric panels on the Fourth Street bridge on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 in Oakdale Park in preparation for the Smoky Hill River Festival. (photo by Jeff Cooper/Salina Journal)

Joe Clark (left) and Erika Nelson work on an art installation at the tennis courts in Oakdale Park on Wednesday, June 9, 2010 in preparation for the Smoky Hill River Festival. (photo by Jeff Cooper/ Salina Journal)

When two people are set up by a mutual acquaintance for a blind date, the results are difficult to predict, but at this year's Smoky Hill River Festival it will be hard to miss the bright results at the Oakdale Park tennis courts.

"I See You, You See Me," a mural of Put-in-Cups and cloth, shows the results of the artist blind date of Erika Nelson, of Lucas, and Bill Godfrey, from near Pittsburgh, Pa.

The two found themselves paired together to design a mural ahead of the four-day Smoky Hill River Festival, set to kick off tonight with the Festival Jam in Oakdale Park.

Godfrey and Nelson met for the first time Tuesday to start their project after being "set up" by Karla Prickett, a festival organizer, and talking online about the project for two months.

"It was like creating an Internet relationship with someone you don't know," Godfrey said. "You find out a lot about the person, but you never physically meet them until the end. You don't know if you are going to be able to work together or not."

Inspired by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, the artists set out to design a project meshing two very different art materials.

Hundertwasser?

"She (Erika) wanted to base our piece on his (Hundertwasser's) work," Godfrey said. "I went on the Internet and researched this artist's work and found he was one of the most important artists in Germany in the 20th century."

Nelson said Hundertwasser's designs are childlike and have many curves, something she felt would be a hit at the festival.

"We are focusing on the eyes and bright colors of his designs," Nelson said. "The top tier will be major vignettes tied together with little designs."

Godfrey said his part of the project was finished ahead of time, but Nelson started putting the Put-in-Cups into the fence Tuesday. The project is expected to be finished today. Nelson said she planned only a portion of her project in advance.

It really blends well

"I'm responding to Bill's pieces and going little by little until it feels right," Nelson said.

With the banners made of cloth and the Put-in-Cups, Godfrey said he was surprised how well the materials blended together.

"If you put the fabric and the plastic on the chain-link fence and step back, you can't tell where one ends and the other begins," Godfrey said. "By accident, the cups and cloth are the same color sources."

Nelson said the mural almost looks as if it were designed by one artist instead of two.

Godfrey has been helping Nelson put the cups into the fence following her designs.

"It is like a creative arena," Godfrey said. "You bring a lot of things and media together, and it happens."

Nelson said the mural will be taken down Sunday.

"She envisioned us working together in a nice fashion, and we have," Godfrey said. "This art blind date has worked."

Reporter Chris Hunter can be reached at 822-1422 or by e-mail at chunter@salina.com.

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11" x 17" Sideshow Poster

You can now order a poster of the first WLT Sideshow Banner that will make up the new traveling exhibit, due to make its first appearance in May, 2010. Poster is glossy, full color, 11" x 17", and features paintings of the World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things.